Aid to our Afghan Interpreter, Max, & his family

We are a group of retired US Marines, a Gold Star family, and friends who have been working hard to get our Afghan Interpreter friend “Max” and his family of 10 (including 6 kids — the youngest a 3-month-old baby) safely out of Afghanistan and eventually resettled in the US.

Max was a loyal, courageous Interpreter who has proven time and again his selfless devotion to our mission, his family, and all those around him. He is nothing short of a brother to all the Marines he served alongside with, and we know he will be invaluable to any community he is a part of here in the US.

Max has received numerous death threats from the Taliban due to his work supporting US and NATO forces and he knew that his life (and the lives of his family members) was very much in danger when the Taliban took over. While the Taliban’s door-to-door searches for those who had worked to support the American effort drew ever closer to his home, and numerous plans for escape via the airport fell through (especially after the bombing), the family made the awful decision to sell everything and leave all that they knew in Kabul to make an extremely harrowing overland journey driving across country through multiple Taliban checkpoints and crossing the border into a third country, where they are currently in hiding.

Along the way, Max even agreed to help two additional unaccompanied high-risk females (who he did not know) to get across the border, endangering his family further, but demonstrating what all who know him have witnessed — a selfless willingness to help others even at great risk to himself.

As Americans, we feel strongly that we have a moral obligation to support Max and his family while they remain in hiding awaiting their visas, and when they are eventually allowed to come to the US for resettlement. This family left everything they knew and owned because of his work supporting us. Now it's time for us to support them.

It could take a long time for them to rebuild their lives, and we are committed to helping them as they navigate their new reality. They will face many obstacles along the way, but we hope that by providing necessary funds, we can ease the burden as they await their visas while in hiding, travel to the US and eventually find a new home, jobs, language and cultural training, schooling and other opportunities here in America.

We are asking for your donation (no amount is too small) so we can repay our debt to Max and his family.

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions at all!  We are working through a 501c3, Window of Peace (windowofpeace.org) so your donation will be tax-deductible, and all donations (minus transaction fees) will go to pay for the family's living and travel expenses, legal fees, and any additional needs they may have.  We are all volunteers and are receiving no money for our work on this effort. We will continue to update this page as Max's situation evolves so you can stay up-to-date on his progress.

Semper Fidelis

USMC Veteran Joe Merritt
USMC Veteran Joseph Tilelli
USMC Veteran Joe Biscardo
The Brennan Family (Gold Star Family)
Zubaid Kazmi (friend)
Ozra Naweed (friend)
Patti Bonnet (friend)